


Hidden Talents

by FaygoMayhem



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Admiration, Flirting, Grief/Mourning, Iggy has wood, M/M, Reckless Driving, Road Rage, Slice of Life, Spying, use of alcohol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-09-13 04:25:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9106552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaygoMayhem/pseuds/FaygoMayhem
Summary: Noctis has known Ignis forever, but the more time he spends with him on their journey across the country he comes to find that he doesn't really know him at all.A series of interconnected one-shots documenting all the things Noctis comes to know about his trusted advisor.





	1. Morning Routine

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all. This is my first time posting to the site and writing this fandom at all. I wrote this mostly because I've fallen in love with Ignis, and couldn't help but to imagine him having all sorts of hidden quirks and talents that the rest of the party has no clue about. I have a few things in mind to continue this, but welcome any suggestions if you would like to leave one in the comments. Everything planned will stay mostly innocent, but I'm not opposed to starting a second compilation of some not so innocent things. That said I hope you enjoy and thank you for reading.

Ignis loves mornings. Being awake with the rising sun does wonders in making him feel refreshed and ready to tackle any challenges that may arise on their journey to see Noctis married. Though they hadn’t been on the road long, he had already established a routine to ensure he could start his day properly. 

He awakes exactly five minutes before his four a.m. alarm and quickly turns it off so as to not disturb the other occupants in the tent, dresses himself as swift and silent as possible, then creeps over his peacefully sleeping companions to make his way out of the tent. Once outside he kindles a fire and brews a pot of coffee, tending it carefully to ensure it reaches his perfect potency level without burning. When the coffee is done he pours a cup and relaxes back in one of the camp chairs to watch the sun rise, delighting in the way it paints the desert landscape in vibrant shades of red and orange before settling on the crisp golden yellow of early morning light. 

After his second cup of coffee the advisor makes his way over to the side of the Haven and begins his morning aerobics routine, finding it essential in keeping his muscles from getting stiff and sore after nights spent sleeping on the hard ground. When he finishes he returns to camp, pours another cup of coffee and sets about taking inventory of their supplies and packing away the things that were no longer needed. Once satisfied with the state of camp he fetches the things he’s set aside and begins preparing breakfast, pausing to retrieve a set of ear buds from his pocket and mess with the music player they’re attached to. He hums casually along with the song playing while gathering ingredients and firing up the camp stove, completely lost in his own little world.

-

Noctis hates mornings. Just the thought of being up before noon makes him shudder in disgust and curl up defiantly under blankets, though that’s not exactly a luxury he’s been able to afford ever since they set out from Insomnia. Still, everyone knew to let him sleep until Ignis called them out for breakfast and even then it was a challenge getting him up and out of the tent before the food got cold. Why someone would try and get him up before then was a mystery, but all the same he could currently feel someone shaking him and begging that he wake up. 

“Come on Noct, you’ve got to see this!” came the jovial voice of his best friend as he continued shaking him and trying to pry the blanket away from his face. Noctis groaned and curled into a ball, muttering something along the lines of ‘what’s so important’ before trying to tug the blanket back into place. Prompto only tightened his hold on the blanket, refusing to give it back before stuttering out, “I-it’s Ignis,” barely able to contain laughter as he finally succeeded in wrenching the blanket away. 

At the sound of his advisor’s name Noctis perked up a little, curious as to what the normally stoic man could be doing that would cause his friend to wake him up in hysterics. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before looking over at Prompto and asking, “Ok, what’s so funny?”

“You just gotta see...” Prompto said with another chuckle while grabbing him by the arm and pulling him over to one of the tent windows they had opened to clear the tent of the stuffy desert heat. Noctis peered out of the small opening, getting a clear view of Ignis over at his prep table where he was mixing together ingredients and…..dancing. 

He mixed batter with one of his hands while his hips swayed rhythmically from side to side in time to a beat only he could hear. When the batter was finished, he took several timed steps backward toward the stove, legs moving fluidly like he was walking on air as he silently mouthed the words to whatever song was playing in his ear. Once at the stove he carefully began pouring the batter onto a griddle, resuming the sway of his hips and stopping after pouring certain amounts to thrust his arm and leg out and inch carefully over to the side. 

Noctis sat stunned in the tent, watching the spectacle with his mouth hanging open as Prompto continued giggling beside him. The blonde held his camera up, unable to resist capturing the moment, but Noctis reached over and lowered it while shaking his head, knowing Ignis would kill them for spying on what was usually his private routine. He turned his attention back to his advisor just in time to watch him flip one of the pancakes in the air and do a quick spin, timing it so the cake landed perfectly back on the spatula before he set it back down on the griddle. Noctis had to admit the unintended show was….impressive, as he had no idea his advisor could move like this or that he liked music at all since he always refrained from playing anything in the car. Then again, he figured there was probably much he didn’t know about the other man because they never really discussed his personal life aside from constant teasing that he didn’t have one.  
-

They continued watching the entire time Ignis cooked, dance moves growing even more complex the less he had to stand in one spot observing the stove. At one point Prompto had nearly died laughing when Ignis suddenly stopped everything he was doing to break down into a complex salsa routine; feet moving quickly forward and back, hips swaying sensuously, and arms pumping at his sides to propel his motion, while Noctis just continued observing in stunned silence, admiration growing with every step.  
When everything was finished the advisor pulled the buds out of his ears and stopped the music, safely tucking everything away back into his pocket. When he turned toward the tent to rouse everyone for breakfast Noctis and Prompto panicked, desperately rushing back to their sleeping areas to try and avoid being caught. They managed to settle down just before the tent front opened and Ignis stuck his head partially inside. 

“If you two are quite done gawking please wake up Gladio and come eat,” he quipped out in an even tone, not betraying any hint of anger or annoyance. Both Noctis and Prompto automatically stiffened in fear at being caught, eventually managing to sit up and nod over at Ignis, being careful not to actually look at his face. Satisfied, the older man retreated from the tent and walked back over to the camp kitchen leaving the other two to panic in peace. 

“You should go out first,” Prompto began, shame evident in his voice, “he’s less likely to murder you. I’ll wake Gladio.” 

Noctis only nodded, not feeling like arguing even though it was Prompto’s fault in the first place. He dressed slowly alongside his friend before exiting the tent with a deep sigh. He made his way over to his advisor who was busy plating the food and paused beside him, unsure of what to say. 

To his surprise, Ignis only bid him good morning before handing him a plate of food and telling him that the syrup and other condiments were on the side table for him to use. Noctis stammered out a ‘thanks’ and went over to the table for pancake syrup and jam for the toast on the side of the plate. While he was there he heard booming laughter from inside the tent and felt a pang of guilt for intruding on his advisors’ privacy so thoroughly. Prompto and Gladio exited the tent soon after, both fighting to contain laughter as retrieved their plates from Ignis and went to sit down. Through the entire meal the two of them would cast glances toward Ignis, who was not joining them in favor of cleaning up as usual, and burst into fits of quiet laughter that could still quite obviously be heard from the cooking station. Eventually Ignis sat down with a cup of coffee and bowl of fruit, eyeing his companions strangely before calmly asking, “Mind cluing me in on what’s so funny?”

Prompto tried his best to look guilty and failed, quickly dissolving into more laughter as Gladio buried his face in his pancakes, not wanting to get involved since he technically had no fault in the matter. Noctis still didn’t know what to say, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. 

“Do you do that every morning?”

Ignis rose his eyebrows, as if he was impressed at the bold question. He took a sip of coffee before answering, “When I’m in the proper mood. Dancing is an excellent way to keep your limbs fluid and your posture straight. You should try it sometime, Highness.” At this Noctis turned red while Gladio and Prompto laughed loudly at the idea. When he had composed himself enough to talk Prompto sat back in the chair and looked over at Ignis slowly spooning fruit in his mouth between sips of coffee. 

“You should start a new exercise fad Ignis!” He declared, laughing once again, “We’ll call it culinary aerobics, where you can learn to cook and dance at the same time! It would catch on like crazy with housewives who are too busy to learn separately.”

Instead of being angry, Ignis only chuckled as he stood to collect the breakfast plates for washing, “In that case Prompto you can be my first pupil, as we all know you could do to work on your grace and balance.” The blonde turned red at the comment, stuttering out protests as the group turned their laughter onto him. They bantered back and forth like that for a while before standing and moving to pack up camp so they could set out for the day.

Once Gladio and Prompto were out of ear shot Noctis slowly made his way over to Ignis who was efficiently packing away the kitchen using a method of his own design. He stood there in silence beside his advisor before hanging his head and softly breathing out, “Sorry. You know, for spying.”

Ignis looked over at him with a smile before softly replying, “There’s nothing to be sorry for, Highness. I’m not angry, nor embarrassed at having been seen. Dancing with an audience is something I’m quite used to.” 

Noctis’ mouth fell open again at the response, imagining his normally prim and proper advisor coated with sweat and grinding against strangers in some shady dance club. He struggled with words for a while before calming down enough to ask, “What else do you do that I don’t know about?” 

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Ignis replied with a smirk and a mysterious twinkle in his eyes before walking over to the tent to pack away his things. Noctis stood there for quite a while before moving to do the same. It was certainly going to be an interesting trip.


	2. Downtime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so overwhelmed with the fast positive response I decided to gift you all another chapter for being so lovely. This one required a bit of research on a subject I know absolutely nothing about, so please forgive me if there are any execution errors. I have material for about three more chapters, but please don't hesitate to drop ideas in the comments. Cheers, and I hope you all enjoy.

The entire group breathed a sigh of relief when they finally pull in to a parking spot at the resort town of Galdin Quay. After nearly a week spent sleeping in their cramped tent or smooshed together in small caravans it was going to be heaven to finally have comfortable beds and warm showers, not to mention all the fine food and drinks the resort was so well known for. In the lobby of the hotel, Prompto looked around in awe at the luxurious accommodations, stopping often to snap pointless photos of potted plants and ceiling decoration while Gladio made a show of flexing his muscles to the terrified receptionists and Noctis leaned against the wall with a scowl and tried his best not to look impressed. Ignis checked them in, reservation having been made well in advance, and then proceeded to herd the group of adult children to their suite to keep them from further antagonizing the hotel staff. 

They settled into their room quickly, each choosing a bed before unpacking enough to shower and change out of travel worn clothes before Ignis gave them leave to explore the town at their leisure, only asking they keep trouble making to a minimum and be back for dinner by six. Noctis, Gladio and Prompto practically charged out of the room, eager to explore and see what fun they could have before they boarded the boat bound for Altissia in the morning, while Ignis stayed behind to presumably make sure everything was in order for their trip the next day….or whatever it was he did when the other three weren’t around.

Once out of the hotel Gladio and Prompto headed straight for the bar, unable to resist the call of fine cocktails that came free and unlimited with their reservation. Noctis joined them for a drink, but soon got uncomfortable with Gladio and Prompto taking turns flirting with the wait staff and the strange looks he was receiving from the other people sitting close by. He stood quickly, muttering something quietly about wanting to check for fish in the area, and reminded the other two not to drink too much or face the wrath of Ignis for spoiling the dinner he had been looking forward to since the start of their trip. They didn’t put up any protest to him leaving, calling that they would see him later before turning their attention back to the waitress in a short skirt who was giggling while leaning over to feel Gladio’s bicep, giving Prompto a nice look at her chest. 

Noctis left the bar and walked the docks aimlessly. The resort was beautiful; just the right temperature with the sun reflecting off the water, waves crashing to the beach in a calm rhythm, and kids playing in the sand at the beach under the watchful eye of their parents. There was nothing more that could be asked for in a vacation spot, yet Noctis was still….bored. He thought about going fishing, playing with the idea of whether or not it was worth disturbing Ignis who was probably relaxing alone in the suite. 

He stopped walking and bent himself over the railing of the dock, content for the moment to just watch the waves roll in toward the shore. He had heard people commenting that the water wasn’t usually so out of rest, but a recent storm had dragged in a current that left larger than usual waves in its wake. This left fishing pretty much out of the question at the moment and Noctis let out a deep sigh, telling himself it was probably for the best anyhow…they couldn’t really do much with anything he caught right now. 

As his eyes scanned the water, he made out a figure in the distance paddling away from the shore on a long board, strong arms propelling him swiftly forward until he reached about the center of the dock where Noctis stood watching. He sat up on the board and stilled, riding along some small waves and looking out in the distance, waiting for something a little bigger to roll along. 

Noctis meanwhile watched from his position at the center of the dock in anticipation, practically bouncing on his heels in excitement. He had seen footage of people surfing in movies and on television but never thought he’d get to see it this close. He prayed to the Six this guy was actually good and held his breath as the man in the water finally turned around and laid himself flat on the board, paddling forward to match the speed of the approaching wave. As the wave reached its peak, the man popped up from the board in a crouching position, catching his balance before tipping the board forward into the face of the wave, gliding effortlessly along the water with one had skimming along the surface. He angled the board downward and to the side to turn himself around and slide through the tube created by the wave, vanishing from sight for a moment as his spectator waited with bated breath, even letting out a small cheer of excitement when he emerged out the other side. 

After emerging from the end of the tube the surfer turned the board around again, now skimming along the foam of the breaking wave until he finally reached some level water and was able to pop back down again, pausing to flip the hair out of his eyes and catch his breath for a moment before paddling away from another, smaller, wave. At the wave’s peak, the man once again popped into position gliding down the side only for a moment before turning the board around much faster than he had with bigger wave. He coasted for a moment before turning again, now gliding along the wave’s foam before returning to the water proper. He continued these fast, angled maneuvers through the next series of smaller waves, even once shooting himself into the air off the top of one wave before landing down again onto the body of it. 

Noctis stood at the dock and watched the man surf for a little over an hour until he seemed to tire and start paddling his way back to shore. Before he even knew what he was doing, Noctis found himself walking quickly to the edge of the dock to meet the man at the shore. He had no idea why he was doing it or what he would even say, but something was urging him forward until he was standing at the shore where the man had stopped to collect his belongings. 

Wait. 

Noctis stopped dead in his tracks a few feet from the surfer who currently was turned away from him. There was something oddly familiar about that straight back, those squared shoulders and that crop of brown hair that was currently flipped back to resemble an almost too familiar style. 

“ _Ignis_?!” He blurted out without thinking, not even caring if he was mistaken and actually hoping a little that he was. The man slowly turned around until Noctis was faced with the man who could only be his advisor, though glasses-less and clad only in a pair of simple black swim trunks. 

“Well, it seems I’ve an audience…again,” he said with a smirk causing Noctis to turn a little red from embarrassment. 

“I didn’t know it was you,” the prince said with his head down, rubbing his foot in the sand and trying his best to not look at the way water was dripping off Ignis’ toned chest or the way the swim trunks were clinging to his body, hugging him in all the right ways. “When did you learn to surf?” he asked, trying to distract himself while Ignis toweled off.

“Some time ago, though I’m afraid I’m a bit out of practice,” Ignis said modestly while drying. 

“No you….you’re really good,” Noctis stammered, thinking it crazy that what he just witnessed was Ignis _out of practice_. 

“Well thank you,” Ignis paused to look at Noctis and even with unclear vision he could tell there was something the prince wanted to say, though he was unlikely to ask. “I could teach you sometime, if you would like. Once all this is over.”

“Yeah?” Noctis perked at the offer, trying to hide his excitement and failing pretty spectacularly. 

“Of course, though I’ll have to make sure you properly know how to swim. I’d likely be hung if the crown prince of Lucis drowned during a surfing lesson of all things,” Ignis smiled as Noctis laughed, pleased that he was able to draw some happiness out of the normally brooding young man. “Now we best get back and scoop Prompto and Gladio off the floor of the bar, if they haven’t already been kicked out. They’re coming to dinner even if I have to smack them awake through it.”

With that Ignis headed off back toward the hotel with Noctis at his heels who was still somewhat stunned by this revelation. He had always thought Ignis to be rather boring and reclusive, though he was quickly discovering that he was way off the mark. He followed his advisor across the docks, staring blatantly at him the entire way with his mind reeling with the question of _what else didn’t he know?_


	3. Last Nerve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis finally snaps under pressure, demonstrating to Noctis that he is only human after all.

 

The journey was beginning to take a toll on all of them. It had been a few weeks since they received the news that Insomnia had fallen, and each of them were handling it the only way they knew how. Noctis had withdrawn into himself even further, spending more and more time sleeping and his time awake sulking. Gladio spent even more time training, and riding the rest of the group to do the same until the increasingly difficult hunts and sparring sessions had pushed them to the limits of their stamina. Prompto became optimistic to an almost obnoxious level, constantly cracking dumb jokes and herding the other three to dozens of scenic locations so he could take pictures.

Ignis in the meantime was just trying his best to keep them all sheltered, fed, and alive. He endured their various mood swings with an almost inhuman amount of poise, the only signs of his discontent being an occasional snarky comment or twitch of his eyebrow. He let Noctis sleep in the morning when he really should have been helping tear down the camp, taking the extra work onto himself instead. He seemed relatively clam when Gladio would constantly refuse the dinners he would sometimes spend hours preparing in favor of eating cup ramen, and he barely said a word when Noctis gave in to Prompto’s begging to visit Wiz’s Chocobo Post, sending them far off course from their destination of Lestallum. Noctis thought there might not be a limit to his advisor’s patience, but was proven wrong one morning when he woke up inside the tent much earlier than usual to the commotion of Ignis practically screaming at Prompto.

“What do you mean you don’t know where it is? How exactly can you **_not know_**? **You** were the one charged with putting the supplies away after dinner last night, and I find it very hard to believe that you did it sloppily enough that even you can’t remember where everything was placed. That leads me to believe that you’re either lying or really are just too scatterbrained to be trusted with absolutely **_anything_** ,” Ignis’ words were scathing, and Noctis was having a hard time recalling the last time he had been that harsh with anyone. He dressed quickly and went outside to find their supplies in complete disarray, like they had been attacked by some wild animal during the night.

Gladio was sitting in a chair by the fire tapping on his phone with a disinterested scowl on his face while Ignis and Prompto argued by the disassembled camp kitchen. Noctis quietly walked over to him, almost afraid to be seen by the other two, and sat beside him to ask what was going on.

“Ignis can’t find the coffee and is throwing a bitch-fit because Prompto was the one in charge of putting everything away yesterday,” Gladio offered, not looking up from his phone. “It was pretty funny earlier when he was tearing through everything trying to find it like the damn addict he is, but then Prompto got up and the two of them have just been arguing in circles for the past fifteen minutes.”

Noctis took another look around, surprised that neat-freak Ignis was capable of causing so much chaos. Then again, he had noticed the man drinking more and more coffee as the days went on to the point where Noctis barely saw him consume anything else. If coffee was the key to Ignis’ success in not strangling the three of them in their sleep then they all might really be in trouble here.

“You have five seconds to tell me **_exactly_** what happened before that precious camera of yours becomes a smoldering pile of ash, _do you understand me_?” Ignis was dangerously close to Prompto now, close enough that the younger man could feel the magical heat radiating off him that made his words much more than an idle threat.

“ _5_ ”

Prompto took a step back with his arms up, like he was trying to inch away from an attacking dog

“ _4_ ”

He looked around the camp panicked, as if there was something there to save him that he just hadn’t thought of yet.

“ _3_ ”

He locked eyes with Noctis, pleading for help, but the young Prince could only shrug in response and mouth ‘tell him’.

“ _2_ ”

Prompto hung his head in defeat and began nervously wringing his hands together.

“ ** _1_** ”

“Ok, ok! Listen….last night the coffee can was sitting on the edge of the table and it was sorta open because I just finished brewing more on the fire for when you and Gladio came back from your sparring session. Well, when I went to go back to the table to finish putting everything away I kinda tripped over one of the supply cases and stumbled back into the table and the coffee might have…..gotten knocked over and spilled everywhere.” Prompto flinched away suddenly like he expected the older man to strike him, but Ignis simply removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.

“Prompto,” he began, voice unnervingly calm with a tone that sent shivers up Noctis’ spine, “you do realize that with this little detour you’ve set us on it’s going to take another **_two days_** for us to reach an outpost where we can properly resupply?”

The blonde audibly squeaked and backed even further away in fear, again looking around desperately for something to save him. Then he suddenly perked up and Noctis could practically see the lightbulb go off over his head to signal that he had thought of something that might let him live another day.

“What about the diner we passed on the way down here? We should be able to make it there in a few hours and I’m sure they serve coffee, maybe they’ll sell us some extra for the right price?” Prompto spoke with more confidence than his body language portrayed, and Noctis could only hope Ignis would take the bait instead of incinerating his best friend.

“I suppose that will have to do,” Ignis conceded with a heavy sigh, replacing his glasses back onto his face. “You three are on your own for breakfast while I clean this mess up, there’s fruit in the cooler and a bag of cereal on the ground near that empty chair.” The three of them exchanged wordless glances, deciding that it would probably be best to just wait to eat so they could help out and get on the road faster to get Ignis back to normal.

They regretted this soon after, however, as Ignis began irritably barking orders at them the moment he realized they were going to try helping him. Noctis noticed Gladiolus cracking his knuckles with a familiar glint in his eye after the third time Ignis had come over to instruct him on the _exact_ order to follow when packing away the cooking utensils. He went over to put a restraining arm on his shoulder; Ignis had put up with far worse than this from the three of them, the least they could do was put up with him being cranky for a few hours.

“This’ll be easier on all of us if you just let me knock him out until we get there. Hell, it would even give him a chance to actually get some sleep for once,” Gladio muttered while returning to packing away the various pieces of kitchen equipment.  Noctis only blinked, not really grasping the extent of what Gladio was saying. “What, you don’t think he’d be flipping out like this just because of coffee, do you? I don’t think I’ve seen the idiot rest for more than a couple hours at a time since the news that the city fell. He’s gone so far into overdrive with his planning and scheming that I wouldn’t be surprised if he could taste the end of the stick jammed up his ass by now.”

Noctis turned away from Gladio to look over at Ignis who was busy packing their dried goods back into place so they could get on the road. This was the first time he could honestly say he noticed the deep dark circles under his eyes and the far too stiff set of his shoulders. He had been foolish to think that Ignis was truly unaffected by the news that had rattled them all to the core, and really should have expected that the selfless man was only hiding away his worries for the benefit of the group.

He felt extremely guilty for not noticing his friend’s stress but only went back to packing for the moment, knowing that it wouldn’t be a good idea to try and talk to his advisor in this state. With the camp so thoroughly torn apart it was late morning before they had everything packed back into the Regalia and were ready to get going.  


“You sure you don’t want me to drive Specs?” Noctis offered again, trying to give Ignis a chance to rest and maybe not altogether trusting in his ability to drive at the moment.

“For the fourth time, Highness, I’m _fine_ ,” he put so much emphasis on that last word it gave away that his mental state was exactly the opposite as he slammed the trunk down so hard the car shook slightly. When they all piled into their usual seats Ignis brought the car to life and threw it in reverse, backing along the dirt on the side of the road. As soon as he was able Ignis whipped the car around and gunned the accelerator, causing them all to lurch back in their seats.

“Uh, Ignis, a warning next time maybe?” Piped up Prompto, who had smacked his head on the window. Noctis had a feeling that had been a little more than an accident.

“I have tried many times over to educate you all on the importance of seatbelts, but since you all continue to obstinately ignore my warnings a practical demonstration seemed the only way to make the point stick. Now, if you would all please _buckle up_ ,” Ignis’ tone left absolutely no room for argument, and for once the other three just wordlessly followed his instruction as he continued to speed along the highway.

They drove in complete silence for about an hour with Ignis irritably drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and shaking his head every so often like he was trying to startle himself awake. Eventually, he reached over and tuned the radio to a station that was playing some heavy rock music and turned it up to a volume that was almost painfully loud. Noctis glanced over at Gladio who shrugged in an ‘I told you so’ kind of manner and tried to relax in his seat. The music was preventing Noctis from napping, not that he really felt comfortable doing so right now anyway, so he reclined back and watched the landscape pass at an almost alarming rate.

“Hey, uh, maybe we should slow down a little. We’re going to be coming pretty close to the outpost soon and there will probably be more traffic,” Noctis suggested, hoping that lack of coffee was not going to be the cause of a horrific car accident. Ignis didn’t say anything but the car did slow down slightly, and Noctis figured it was better than nothing.

 He was proved right about twenty minutes later when they encountered a bit of lite traffic. Ignis swore heavily when they were forced behind a slow moving truck that reduced their progress to little more than a crawl. It took about five minutes moving at this pace before the irate advisor to leaned on the horn and pointlessly shouted for the other driver to ‘ _move along, arsehole’_. When the driver did not comply with the order Ignis swerved into the other lane, speeding up to pass the truck completely while extending his finger in a manner so unlike him Noctis almost laughed.

They reached the diner about half an hour later with little incident. Ignis managed to swerve the car into a parking spot at top speed without killing them all and Noctis and Prompto hopped out immediately and ran at full sprint into the small eatery.

“We need one-no, make that two- full pots of coffee, stat! Please, it’s an emergency,” Prompto begged the startled server, who only stared at him wide-eyed like he was a crazy person. Another man behind the counter just laughed and threw the rag he was using to wipe the countertop up onto his shoulder.

“That might take a little while, will you settle for a single cup in the meantime?” he asked, already retrieving a mug and heating pot of coffee. Noctis grabbed the cup as soon as it was filled and rushed it outside to where Ignis was in a heated argument with the pump attendant over the price of gas. He forced his way between the two and pushed the cup of steaming liquid into his advisor’s hands before he ended up in a fist fight.

“Uh, sorry about this, my friend’s not exactly himself right now. We’ll pay whatever price you want for the gas,” Noctis pleaded with the station attendant, trying to diffuse the situation. It seemed to work well enough and the man took his gil and walked away, only sparing one quick glance at Ignis who had downed the entire mug of coffee in a few quick gulps despite the heat. He shook his head again as the warm liquid coursed through his body and pushed his glasses back into place on his nose.

“I suppose I should thank you. That situation escalated rather quickly,” Ignis said, ashamed. He seemed to have relaxed a little and the irritated glare he had been sporting all morning had softened, indicating that he was beginning to settle down.

“There’s more coffee waiting for you in the diner, Specs. Best come get it before it gets cold,” Noctis said with a smile, shaking his head at his deflated advisor. He received no response but a bow of the head as Ignis walked into the diner to set himself straight.

Four cups of coffee later, Ignis was finally back to normal. He had apologized profusely to Prompto, both for yelling and jostling him in the car, and promised to cook one of his favorite dishes the next time they made camp. The blonde had cheered and pumped his fist in the air as a response, instantly forgiving the events of the morning with an enthusiasm uniquely his own. He had also apologized to Gladio and Noctis, but they both waved him off like it wasn’t a big deal.

When they had settled enough to begin making plans for the rest of the day, Noctis had made an executive order that they find an inn and spend the next day relaxing. The events of the morning were more than enough proof that the group was stressed to _all_ of their limits and they needed some nicer accommodations and time for themselves. He silenced the few protests from Ignis with a soft squeeze to his shoulder, trying to communicate to him that it was ok for him to need some rest. Ignis had covered his hand with his own and squeezed it back with wordless gratitude, causing Noctis’ breath to hitch a little at the contact.

Once it was decided, the group stored the acquired coffee in portable containers and set off for the hotel to begin their much needed relaxation. Noctis had even paid extra for a sizable bag of coffee grounds that he stored with their emergency rations. If only one thing was made clear to him that day, it was that if the group was going to survive this journey they could not afford to run out of coffee  ** _ever_** again.

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Iggy just can't deal without coffee. Me thinks Noctis needs to exercise other methods to help him relax......
> 
> As always, scenario suggestions are more than welcome. Thanks to all who leave comments and kudos, they keep ideas flowing and fingers typing. Hope you all enjoyed, much love to you all.


	4. Wooden Watchers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis gets suspicious when he notices Ignis coming to bed late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IgNoct week is on the horizon all! To celebrate I resurrected this presumed dead story from the bottom of my archive and made a commitment to myself to at least write up the prompts I had. Thanks go to Shiary for planting the idea for this chapter in my head.

  

Noctis doesn’t think much of it when he spots Ignis searching the ground for wood.

He would pick a piece up, examine it carefully, and more often than not toss it aside mumbling something about it being ‘too wet’ or ‘not the right kind’. Sure the behavior was a little strange, but Ignis had a particular way of doing just about _anything_ and him being a little overly picky about the wood used for fire kindling or- more likely- meat smoking, wasn’t anything to be concerned about. He leaves Ignis alone in the forest to his quiet musings and goes to play King’s Knight with Prompto instead.

When Ignis’ bags start to get a little a heavier, Noctis can’t help but start to get curious.

Up until this point on their journey Ignis had been the only one of the four to abstain from collecting personal trinkets and mementos that weren’t vital to comfort or survival. It wasn’t as if the change in weight was anything drastic, but lately Noct had been paying a lot more attention to the subtle details of his advisor, and any sudden change just felt like another piece added to the needlessly complicated and constantly changing puzzle that was Ignis Scientia. His mind burns with the sudden need to open the bag and discover what exactly Ignis was hiding inside, but instead he respectfully sets it down next to the flimsy double bed they’d be sharing for the night before flopping down for a quick nap.

A few days later, Noctis can’t help but come to the conclusion that Ignis is up to something.

He’s spent the past couple of nights lying in the tent for hours, waiting for Ignis to come and join them and only letting himself sleep when it got so late that he could no longer force his eyes open. He had tried asking Ignis if something was keeping him awake, not wanting a repeat of the “coffee incident”, but had only received the typical infuriating non-answer of ‘it’s nothing to concern yourself with, Highness’.

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Noctis sits up and leaves the tent once he’s sure Gladio and Prompto are asleep to hopefully find out just what exactly his advisor is up to _this time_. Once outside he sees Ignis’ silhouette in a chair facing toward the still brightly burning campfire and can make out a faint, repetitive, scraping sound of a blade being drawn along the edge of something. He walks over as quietly as possible and takes the seat to Ignis’ far right, not wanting to disturb whatever it is that he’s doing, yet eager to find out what that something might be.

Ignis doesn’t look over at him when he sits down, too absorbed in his task to turn his head away. From what Noctis can see through the shadows cast by the fire, the advisor has a small piece of wood in his hand and is using a small knife to patiently shave off bits at time to form a shape that he can’t yet recognize in the low light. Ignis still doesn’t acknowledge his presence and they sit unspeaking for a while, the only sound between them the rhythmic pass of knife on wood.

“Apologies if you were expecting another show,” Ignis finally says after several minutes of Noctis silently watching him work, “I find myself too exhausted as of late to pursue more theatric activities.”

“Truthfully Specs, I never know what to expect out of you anymore,” Noctis scoffs and leans himself a little closer to try and get a better look at what Ignis is carving now that he had finally been noticed.   

“A strategist’s greatest weapon is unpredictability,” Ignis gives one of his more annoying secretive smirks at that as his eyes playfully glance over at his companion for a brief second before returning to his work.

Noctis rolls his eyes and sits back in the chair, still unable to fully make out whatever was in the other man’s hands. “So,” he begins after a short lull in the conversation, determined to get more information out of the stoic man, “care to tell me why your unpredictable ass is up carving wood in the middle of the night like it’s some sort of crown secret?”

Ignis sighs and pauses in his carving a moment. “I’m making a new cactuar for Talcott,” he says softly after a few seconds before resuming, “We’ve had poor luck locating the remaining ones he needs for his collection so I’m hoping that giving him something unique will serve to brighten his spirit until we can come through.”

Noctis opens his mouth to say something, and then shuts it again as the full impact of the words hit him. He could always trust Ignis to be kind and considerate enough to render him speechless. They had all suffered plenty throughout the course of this journey, but the recent loss of one of the few remaining friendly faces left to them was still a fresh wound. Ever the loyal caretaker, it was only natural that Ignis would find a way to try and cheer up the young boy after the crushing death of his grandfather.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Noctis tries to redirect the conversation. “Have you….been doing this for long or is this a new addition to your bag of tricks?” Truthfully Noctis is a little stunned by just how easy it is to imagine the wood carving to be something Ignis had picked up on a whim, as if the man was just naturally perfect at everything.

“It’s something I’ve been doing since childhood. I’ve always had a bit of an affinity for knives and a pressing need to be doing something with my hands. This and cooking seemed rather easy outlets to satisfy my tendencies,” Ignis finishes with a serine, nostalgic, smile on his face as he thinks back to a more carefree time.

“Why haven’t you ever shown me?” Noctis asks a little petulantly, once again upset at the discovery of a long-time hobby of Ignis’ that he’d had absolutely no clue about.

“By the time I was skilled enough to ever consider showing off my creations to you, your interests were….elsewhere. I didn’t think they were anything worth your attention,” Ignis said a little sadly, focusing intently down at his carving and avoiding Noct’s eye.

“I still would’ve liked to see them,” Noctis mumbled to himself though he figured Ignis heard him anyway. He crossed his arms and stared silently at the fire for a few moments before noticing that Ignis had gotten up and walked over to him, holding out a small black cloth bag for him to take. Noct accepts the bag and starts looking through it, a little confused until he realizes what it is.

 Inside the bag was a collection of about a dozen wooden figures, each hand carved and unique. Annoyance forgotten, Noctis begins picking them out individually to study them in the firelight. There was a Tonberry holding out a knife and looking adorably threatening, a Moogle holding a letter, a Behemoth howling, a Chocobo that Prompto would absolutely _die_ over; each was carved with great precision and an obvious amount of care.

“Wow Specs, these are…..really good,” Noctis says reverently as he continues going through the bag. He’s so fascinated by the small carvings that he misses Ignis’ shy smile and the heat in his cheeks not caused by the fire.

“Thank you,” Ignis says softly, going back to his work in progress. “It’s only a small sample but they are….some of my favorites.”

Noctis pauses when he pulls the last figure out and examines it carefully. It takes a second, but he finally recognizes it as a Carbuncle with a crown on its head, one that is eerily familiar. He sets the bag down and reaches inside his jacket pocket to produce a figure of his own and hold it beside this newer one in the light. Sure enough, the figures were almost identical; though his own was smaller, lacking a crown, and carved with a much less experienced hand. He flipped both figures over to notice matching marks on the underside of the carving. In all his years spent looking at the little statue, Noctis had never been able to make out what that mark was. Taken in this new context it was now blatantly obvious, a stylized pair of initials- ‘I.S’.

“I-I thought my dad gave me this,” Noctis says, confused, as he continues comparing the carvings in his hands. Ignis had stopped carving once he realized what the Prince was doing and was looking down with his hands resting in his lap, ashamed.

“He did,” Ignis says after a long sigh. “I gave it to him.”

Noctis stops and looks over in mild shock, asking with his eyes for more explanation. Ignis sighs again and looks pointedly at his hands, as if they were to blame for this now uncomfortable situation. “It was….my first creation,” he begins, “King Regis had recently taken me into the custody of the crown after my hometown was destroyed and I wanted to give him something in thanks for my new life in the Citadel. I had been doing some reading on mythical creatures and found a passage depicting a Carbuncle being tasked in watching out for Lucian Kings by Bahamut himself, so I tried carving one. After many failed attempts I finally gifted it to His Majesty on a day he came to visit to check how I was adjusting to the curriculum required for me to one day take a place as your advisor.”

Ignis trailed off there, remembering clearly the day his nine year old self had given the king his gift, and how anxious he was.

-

_The small figure had been burning a hole in his pocket all afternoon. Each time there was a pause in the conversation Ignis fought with himself over whether or not this was a good time to give his small offering, deciding each time that it was still inappropriate while they were discussing matters that were more important. He waited patiently while his tutors told the King of Ignis’ progress and how well he was taking to the strict academic regimen, doing his best to not appear too proud though he was internally beaming from the praise._

_“It sounds like young Ignis will be a perfect fit as an advisor to Noctis, we’re fortunate to have found him. Thank you for the report, gentlemen, I trust you’ll take the upmost care in furthering his education,” with that the King stood and the room followed, bowing respectfully with a chorus of ‘Yes, your Majesty’._

_This was his last chance_

_As the King walked out of the room Ignis followed silently, not bothering for once to ask permission to be excused. When they were alone in the hall Ignis summoned every ounce of his courage and called out, “Your Majesty, might I have a moment, please?”_

_The King turned and looked down at the boy with a gentle expression on his face and warmth in his eyes, “Of course, Ignis. What is it son?”_

_“I-I wanted you to have this,” Ignis hastily retrieved the carving from his pocket and held it up for the King in both hands with his head bowed. Regis took the small figure from him and turned it over in his hands, studying it with joy._

_“It’s a Carbuncle,” Ignis began to explain, shuffling his feet nervously as he watched the King react to his gift, “I read that they’re the watchers of Kings. You’re always watching over everybody else, so I thought you should have something to watch out for you.”_

_Stunned, King Regis dropped to one knee and pulled the boy into a gentle hug, “Thank you, Ignis, I shall treasure it always.”_

-

Noctis pretends not to notice the small tear that ran down Ignis’ cheek as he recalled the memory. Though his heart was already aching, there was still something he had to ask. “Why did he let me have it?”

Ignis turns his head down again and uses the motion of pushing up his glasses to subtly wipe the corner of his eye. He drew in a raspy breath, the emotional conversation taking a toll, and his voice was heavy when he spoke. “While you lay in a coma after the Marilith attack His Majesty placed it on your pillow, stating that in the moment you needed a protector more than he did. When you later awoke you became so attached to the figure that he never had the heart to ask for it back. I carved him another some years later when his health began to fail.”

“This one?” Noctis asked, holding up the crowned Carbuncle. Ignis nods and draws another shaky breath.

“He…He gave that back to me before we left, asking that I keep it safe so he could be with you in spirit, if nothing else. I thought at the time he was expressing regret at being unable to attend your wedding; I was obviously mistaken,” his voice breaks at the last part and Ignis removes his glasses and begins furiously scrubbing the lenses with the ends of his shirt. Noctis clutches the crowned Carbuncle in his hand as his own tears began to fall. “Forgive me for not giving it to you earlier,” Ignis whispers, “I didn’t know how to best approach the subject.”

Noctis is silent for a long time, grief once again consuming him as he mourns the loss of his father and home. He opens his hand and stares down at the small crowned Carbuncle and smiles down at it sadly. He can’t explain it, but he feels comforted by the figure, as if his dad really was watching him through its eyes.

“I can have this?” He asks Ignis when he finds himself able to speak again.

Ignis nods, “Of course.”

They sit in completive silence for a while longer until Noctis picks the small bag back up and stands to give it back to Ignis. “Better get back to work, Specs. We’ve only got about another two days until we get back to Lestallum and Talcott will be wanting that Cactuar. It’s….special,” Noct says as Ignis takes back the bag.

Ignis covers Noctis’ hand with his own for a brief moment during the exchange and smiles shyly. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Noctis rolls his eyes at the use of the moniker and walks back toward the tent, still holding both statues carefully in his hand. Before entering, he pauses and calls back to Ignis, “Oh and one more thing, Specs.”

“Yes Noct?”

“Stop hiding all your weird hobbies from me. You’re my steward and best…well, only….advisor and it’s in my best interests to know the full extent of what you’re capable of,” Noctis hears Ignis let out a soft chuckle and smiles himself, gazing back fondly in his direction.

“Sleep well, Noctis.”

Noctis shakes his head and enters the tent. Once he resituates himself for sleep he brings out the twin Carbuncle statues once again. He sets them both beside the pillow and stares at them until he feels his eyelids start to get heavy.

‘ _Thanks for always watching out for me Specs, Dad,_ ’ he thinks to himself as he falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have an idea for another talent? Feel free to leave it in the comments or come talk to me on Tumblr  
> https://faygosmayhem.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read.


	5. Majesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strapped for cash, the boys go hunting and Ignis gets to experience a childhood dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look at that, I'm keeping a promise. If I had any patience at all I'd wait two days and post this for IgNoct week proper, but I don't, so here's the first of the three remaining ideas early. This was written very late at night and is pretty silly, so don't take it too seriously, yeah? Hope you all enjoy, and thanks for stopping by to read.

After what feels like days of endless driving, the party pulls into the rest stop at Coernix Station. They all hop out of the Regalia, happily stretching their cramped and aching limbs and taking in what little there was to see of yet another run-down outpost in the middle of nowhere.

“Man, feels good to finally take a break. These long car rides are getting so boooring, I used to love playing ‘I spy’ with my parents but you guys just suck the fun right out of _everything_ ,” Prompto cries dramatically as he flings himself face down across the hood of the car, earning a very disapproving look from Ignis. This prompts Gladio to sneak up on him from behind and drag him backward into a headlock.

“For the record, Chocobo Butt,” Gladio grunts out as Prompto struggles uselessly in his grip, “no one wants to play ‘I spy’ when the only three possible answers are ‘tree, rock, and patch of dead grass’. You’d think with all your picture taking you’d be able to spot something a little more interesting.”

“It’s not my fault this place is so dull. Go complain to Iggy, he’s the one that brought us here,” Prompto whines as he finally escapes from Gladio’s hold and pouts while trying to fix his hair.

“Now children, do refrain from hurting each other before we even get started. Or have you both already forgotten what we came here for?” Ignis calls from his spot by the gas pumps, shooting both Gladio and Prompto a pointed glare from over the rims of his glasses.

“Yeah Specs, we know. All work and no play,” Noctis says with a yawn as he leans lazily against the car.

“Yes, well, if I recall correctly it was your fondness for play that put us in this situation in the first place- that is, flat broke and needing to once again rent out our combat skills if we plan on eating sometime this week,” Ignis frowns and shoos Noct off to the side for better access to the gas tank while the prince pretends to be offended.

“Come on Iggy, you know those ultra-rare King’s Knight characters were totally worth every Gil we spent on them,” Prompto mutters while poking away at his phone, as if to prove his point.

Ignis raises an irritated eyebrow and looks over at the blonde, “Prompto, you are aware of the definition of a ‘whale’ in this case, are you not?”

“I-Iggy, did you just call me fat?” Prompto looks up from his phone and shoots Ignis one of the saddest pairs of puppy-dog eyes in his entire arsenal- complete with lower lip wobble. Gladio groans and smacks a hand to his forehead as Ignis shakes his head in disappointment.

“No one thinks you’re fat Prom,” Noctis walks over to rescue Prompto by taking his arm to drag him off toward the diner. Prompto sticks his tongue out childishly at the two older men before following behind his friend.

“Kids,” Gladio huffs out while shaking his head.

“As if you’re any better,” Ignis scolds while placing the gas nozzle back beside the pump, “or did you really expect me to believe that a stranger gifted you all the crystals needed for the epic tier equipment set for your Red Mage?” Gladio sheepishly rubs the back of his neck and wordlessly takes off after Noctis and Prompto, leaving Ignis alone with the car.

 

-

Inside the diner Ignis and Gladio claim a booth and order some waters while Noctis and Prompto talk to the Tipster about the available local hunts. They finish talking and join them at the table, wanted posters in hand, to discuss their plan of action.

“So, here’s what we’ve got,” Prompto says proudly, taking a seat next to Gladio as Noctis lays the papers flat on the table for the group to look over and slides in beside Ignis. Gladio leans forward to examine the papers, nearly knocking over his water glass in his haste to find out what they would be hunting.

“Hmm, let’s see. A few low level Garula, some Cockatrice, and a herd of wild Spiracorns. Not bad, should make for some quick and easy cash,” he says with a grin as he settles back into his seat.

“Spiracorns you say?” Ignis asks with elevated interest, reaching over the table himself to grab the flyer.

“Yeah the guy said they’ve been stampeding all over the roads and causing a lot of trouble,” Noctis says passively as he leans back into the booth. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Ignis crack a small smile as he looks down almost fondly at the picture imprinted on the poster.

“Well then, it’s probably best we don’t dally here too long,” Ignis says as he folds the paper and places it in his jacket pocket before nudging the Prince to let him out of the booth.

“ _Now that’s weird_ ,” Noctis thinks to himself as he shoots Ignis a strange look. Usually Ignis remained cold and logical while discussing plans of attack, but in this instance his enthusiasm seemed to rival Gladio’s.

“Uh, Iggy, we don’t even have a plan,” Prompto says nervously, also catching on to the strange shift in Ignis’ demeanor.

“Sure we do,” Gladio chimes in while shoving himself over to force the blonde out of the booth, “hit ‘em where it hurts and try not to die in the process. Same as every other day.”

Prompto stumbles his way out of the booth before Gladio can push him all the way out and pouts over at Noctis, “But we just sat down.”

Noctis slowly stands and shoves his hands in his pockets, “Eh, the faster we get this done the faster we can come back and go to sleep.” He looks down at Ignis who nods in agreement and stands up himself. The four exit the diner with Ignis in the lead as Prompto dejectedly brings up the rear.

-

The group climb back into the car and drive down the road for a bit before parking at the spot closet to where the herd was rumored to have last been seen. They follow a long staircase down onto the flat marshes of Alstor Slough and proceed forward through the trees, keeping their eyes peeled for their targets.

 Ignis is still leading the group, vigilantly scanning the area for any signs of the Spiracorns. He spots several sets of hoof prints along the shore of one of the large lakes and takes off eagerly to follow them, barely waiting for the rest of them to catch up.

“Gee Specs, what’s got you so excited?” Noctis asks as he falls into step beside him.  Ignis flashes him a mysterious smile before ducking down into a bush when they hear the faint sound of hooves pawing at the ground from behind some thin trees. Ignis puts a finger to his mouth as a signal to be quiet as they both creep slowly forward. As the herd comes into view Noctis hears a soft gasp of awe escape his advisor. They stop moving and crouch lower so as to not be seen.

“Would you look at that,” Ignis says softly as he observes the beasts. His eyes are sparking with wonder and his face is set in quite possibly the most youthful expression Noctis has ever seen him wear. The prince chuckles to himself and he feels his heart melt a little at the sight of his normally serious companion so deliriously happy.

The sound of a twig snapping behind them disturbs the moment, as one of the Spiricorns lifts it head and makes noise to alert the others that something is nearby. Noctis whips his head around and shoots a glare off at Prompto who utters a meek ‘whoops’ as the herd begins to circle around in agitation. Gladio shoulders his sword and charges forward as the Spiracorns start to buck and thrash around them.

Noctis shoots a regretful look at Ignis before taking aim at one of the beasts and throwing his sword to warp forward into the battle.  He hears gunshots sound off behind him and falls just in time to see Gladio land a mighty blow to the head of the Spiracorn he had just attacked. Ignis meanwhile was still crouched low in the bush, temporarily stunned by the sudden onslaught.

“Iggy! A little help here!” Gladio yells while landing successive powerful hits to the beasts surrounding him. This draws Ignis out of his daze and he summons his daggers and runs into the fight. With Ignis’ help they drop three of them and make more room to spread out around the area. Prompto hangs back and continues his suppressive fire while Gladio and Noctis team up to take down the largest of the remaining four.

Ignis lights his daggers aflame and slashes away at the flank of a Spiracorn in front of him. The beast goes down right as he notices another charging up from behind, head tilted toward the ground and prepared to run him through. He dodges back out of the way at the last second, but loses his footing and fumbles forward, colliding into the running beast. On pure instinct, he wraps his arms around its neck as it continues to charge, picking him off the ground and carrying him away from the battle at a blinding speed.

Noctis barely has time to register what happened before the last remaining Spiracorn bucks forward and knocks him down. He rolls to the side to recover as Prompto draws its attention with a few well-aimed shots and Gladio hits from behind to knock it off balance. Noctis draws a breath and warps forward as the beast falls to land the killing blow. Prompto lets out a victory cheer as Gladio smugly shoulders his sword. Noctis smirks and sends his sword back to the Armiger, standing up to brush the dirt off his clothes.

“Uh, guys…where’s Iggy?” Prompto calls as he jogs forward to join Noct and Gladio. The trio glance around the area but there’s no sign of Ignis or the beast that carried him away. They don’t have time to worry for long, however, as the tell-tale whirring of a Magitek drop ship sounds off from above and a small troop of soldiers descends down upon them. Noctis calls his sword again and growls in frustration as he runs forward to fight them off.

The three fight as hard as they can, but they’re already exhausted from the previous battle and the tight grouping of soldiers is starting to overwhelm them. Noctis can hear Gladio grunting with exertion from behind him as Prompto does whatever damage he can at close range without hitting either of them. Noctis warps around the group striking solider after solider until he’s knocked out of the air by a powerful axe blow and crashes hard down onto the ground. The axe man marches over to him, soulless red eyes gleaming mercilessly as he raises his weapon to attack again.

Before the blow can hit, he hears a sharp call of, “NOCT!” coming from behind the Magitek trooper. The cry stuns the solider long enough for Noctis to roll away as Ignis comes charging forward on the back of the Spiracorn with his lance drawn, impaling the enemy in the chest and drawing back to let it fall to the ground.

“Yeah Iggy!” Gladio cheers as Prompto whoops and fires a shot into the air. Ignis adjusts his grip on the lance and tugs the Spiracorn’s mane to the right to signal it to circle back around for another pass. The beast obeys reluctantly and picks up speed again, lowering its head to strike with its horn. It crashes into the side of a soldier advancing on Prompto and sends it hurdling in the air to smash down dead against a tree.

With the motion halted Ignis takes time to aim his lance and throw it at another solider coming up from behind to try and catch Gladio in a pincer attack. It pierces through the side of its neck as Gladio roars and cuts the solder in front of clean in half with a single blow. The remaining two are easily dispatched by Noctis and Prompto.

-

After the battle Ignis gently strokes the mane of his unconventional steed in thanks before gracefully dismounting and giving it a lite smack to the hindquarters to get it to take off running again. He turns to face the group, grinning from ear to ear, and says, “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

Noctis stares over at him in awe of what he just witnessed as Prompto bounces with excitement, “Dude, that was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”  

“Never would’ve pegged you for such an equestrian, Iggy,” Gladio chuckles. Ignis’ cheeks briefly tint pink as he walks over to Noctis to check him for injury.

“I never expected that to work, to be honest. Poor thing expended most of its energy trying to throw me off- it very nearly succeeded a few times,” Ignis tries to fuss over Noctis but is brushed off, as usual.

“Are you telling me that all those insufferable nature documentaries you used to have me sit through were more for your pleasure than my punishment, Specs?” Noctis crosses his arms and raises a questioning brow at his advisor.

“I’ve always found Spiracorns to be fascinating creatures,” Ignis confesses, “their natural majesty is quite befitting of royalty; don’t you think Noct?”

 “You mean if I’d have brought a _Spiracorn_ home instead of dogs and cats you would’ve let me keep it?” Noctis teases, playfully jabbing Ignis in the shoulder with his elbow.

“Perhaps,” Ignis’ eyes glint mischievously as he turns and begins to walk back to the car with Gladio. Noctis pulls Prompto aside as he starts to follow and they stay behind for a minute.

“Please tell me you got a picture of that,” Noctis begs.

“Dude, have you met me?” Prompto laughs and hands his camera over for Noct to look through. The most recent picture is of Ignis grinning like a dopey idiot from the back of his Spiracorn.

“Yup, that one’s a keeper,” he says, smiling down at the image.

_Glad to see you finally enjoying yourself, Specs._

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who were confused, the term 'whale' is used in that in that context to describe a person that spends an exuberant amount of money on mobile phone games. ^^;
> 
> As always, if you have an idea you want to see in this fic you can post it in the comments below or come yell at me on Tumblr. The ask box is open and I'm always willing to ramble about my favorite boy. Thanks again for reading!
> 
> https://faygosmayhem.tumblr.com/


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